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SEO + Social + PR: The Future of Digital Media Relations

The “If you build it, they will come” mantra does not work outside of the cornfields in Dyersville, Iowa. While content marketing and content-based link strategies (No, they’re NOT the same) have become a hot topic in the SEO world in 2012, there are few agencies that do it right. Sure SEO’s can work with copywriters, designers, and developers to create the awesome content needed to get links, but then they’re left to secure placement for this content among the dozens upon dozens of relevant blogs and news sites. Yes, the same people who’ve been doing keyword research, site audits, directory submissions, and easy-to-submit guest posts are now being asked to take on the task of building relationships with members of the media, crafting storylines around their clients’ brands, and reaching out to journalists and editors to generate interest in their proposition. And if they’re doing this from an email address with SEO in the domain name, well that job just got twenty times harder!

This conversation is one I’ve been thinking about a lot this year in trying to figure out the best combination of skillsets and competencies that can be most effective at this type of digital media relations. That’s why I’m really excited to announce the next chapter in my professional career. On Monday, I’ll be starting as the Director at Code Relevant, the digital division of Bender/Helper Impact, a PR agency based in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. BHI works with some amazing brands in the entertainment, technology, and gaming industries, and I’m going to help fuse digital engagement strategies with their already top-notch traditional PR capabilities.

While I won’t be doing SEO full-time anymore, I know that I’ll be pulling a lot from my insight around how Google works, site optimization best practices, and how people consume content online. I’m going to try to keep my SEO knowledge fresh thanks to my awesome SEO Twitter list, and I’m glad to call a number of people in the SEO community friends, and really look forward to sharing thoughts from our different perspectives on a consistent basis.

If you work for an entertainment/consumer products/tech/gaming brand and you’re looking to build buzz around your company, products, or services and use the web, social media, and technology to create deeper relationships with your audience, pleasegive me a shout. I’ll also be accepting a VERY LIMITED amount of SEO work on a freelance basis.

I want to send a BIG THANKS to Max, Monique, and everyone at Thunder SEO for the support and friendship over the last couple of years, thanks to SEOmoz for helping me and so many others take their online marketing knowledge, skills, and thought-processes to a whole other level, and thanks to the SEO community in general – despite the negative reputation SEO gets, there are some really awesome people doing some really awesome work in SEO and I look forward to celebrating all of our successes together.